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Sir Sidney Rowlatt, a chairperson of the Rowlatt Committee, passed this act. In 1919, it was known as the Anarchical Revolutionary Crimes Act.

ROWLATT ACT UPSC

Provision of Act

  • It granted permission to the British government to arrest any person who is accused of a terrorist act. People can be thrown in jail for more than two years without any trial.
  • This act gives full authority to police to arrest anybody without any prior warrant.
  • It establishes more restrictions on the press.

For showing their protest against the Rowlatt act, Indian council members Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Madan Mohan Malviya, and Mazhar UI Haq were blown out. The Indian people widely criticized this act. This act was named ‘black act’ by Gandhi.

MAINSTREAMING GANDHIAN IDEAS IN FREEDOM STRUGGLE

CALL TO SATYAGRAHA AGAINST ROWLATT ACT

Rowlatt Act was just established to control terrorism, but it cut down all the freedom of Indians.

In February 1919, Gandhiji started nationwide protests against the unwelcomed legislation of British rule. Indians showed their protest against this act by fasting and prayers. The British considered this nationwide hartal (strike) as civil disobedience.

  • Gandhiji at Bombay established Satyagraha Sabha. On 1st March 1919, Gandhi started the Satyagraha agitation.

JALLIANWALA BAGH MASSACRE: END OF ROWLATT SATYAGRAHA

  • Many people from nearby villages came to the Baisakhi celebration in Amritsar. All people assembled in Jallianwala Bagh to attend the meeting. People from the nearby villages were unaware of the British laws.
  • As they disobeyed the British law by gathering, General Dyer ordered his force to fire. Without any prior notice, he ordered his forces to shoot for ten minutes. People in the gathering had no way to escape as he covered both entry and exit points.
  • More than 379 people died by fire. The Indian National Congress estimated nearly 1000 deaths.
  • This incident astonishes everyone. The repression of anger turned Punjab into martial law.
  • To protest against this indiscrimination, Tagore renounced the Knighthood title.
  • Gandhi reannounced Kaiser-e-Hind to confer the British crown.
  • On 18 April 1919, Gandhi withdrew this movement as it turned into violence.